Park City rear tire advice needed, XR4 or Ground Control?

The short - I'm looking for a 2.1 - 2.2 rear tire to ride in the Park City area and I can't afford to throw $50 a pop at tires until I find the right one. Front-runners right now are the Bontrager XR4 and the Specialized Ground Control.

The long - I ride my '11 Trek Fuel EX8 all over the PC area, the resorts, mid mountain, glen wild/flying dog, all the typical trails. My current rear tire is a Panaracer Fire XC Pro. It rolls great but really starts to spin out on the loose ups. I've also tried the Kenda Nevegal, it gripped slightly better than the Fire, but rolls way too slow. I need something that will grip a little better than the Nevegal and roll as fast or faster than the Fire. What digs into the loose rocky baby powder dirt we have out here the best? If it matters, I run a 2.2 WTB Wolverine or a 2.25 Maxxis Ardent up front, I love both, and never tried either one the back.

I really like my Maxxis Ignitors at 2.3. Not sure how they'll hold up at 2.1, but I run them front and rear and feel pretty well glued wherever I'm riding around in this area. They are about as slow as the Nevegals, but have much better traction. When it comes to speed vs grip, you're going to have to give up one or the other.

Shoes

I have ridden many tires in the SLC and PC area and my favorite all around tire is the Specialized Captain. I think the Ground Control might be a newer Version of it. I run the Control Version 2.2's with stans and get whole seasons of riding without a flat. Good Combo of Speed and Traction. When I was XC racing I would run the Lighter S-works captain 2.0 up front and a Fast Track Control in the Rear. This combo felt a little faster I always seem to shread the sidewall of s-works tires when I run them in the rear.

I would buy a Captain and a GC and run then front and rear respectivly. The Fire you have been running on the rear is a pretty agressive tire so I am not sure either of these options will be signifigantly better in that respect. Sucks but tire choice is very personal and requires trail and error.

I just purchased both an XR4 2.2 Team Issue TLR and a Ground Control 2.3 for dry, single track, all mountain riding. My research suggest the XR4 makes a better front tire, and the Ground Control makes for a better rear tire (of course, you can run either front or back). I am waiting to mount these on new wheels within one week, so unfortunately I cannot share any personal experience yet. I weighed these tires at a LBS, and the XR4 weighed 50 grams more (GC was 650, XR4 was 700).

Take a look at the tread patterns though: the New XR4 Team issue has ramped center knobs (I have heard this tire compared to a Nevegal, except much faster), while the "paddle" center knobs on the new Ground Control look to me as if they are more suited for a rear tire application (tread resembles a Nobby Nic, except reportedly wears much better).

I have mounted these two tires on my wife's 26" rims in my garage, and they appear to be darn near identical in size when aired up (the XR4 seems a little more aggressive in the tread dept, while the casing of the GC appeared a smidgeon bigger).

Both tires have similar size side lugs, and both tires look great for XC/All mountain riding. I am really excited to try these out. Good luck to you.

Try the Geax Saguaro...suggested to me by STT GUY for riding down near Gooseberry but I've since ridden it EVERYWHERE....Fruita, Mammoth, Sedona, the mountains of SoCal and it's the best rear tire I've ever used and won't even bother trying anything else because I can get the Saguaros at Competitive Cyclist for $36.10 (just ordered 4 of them on monday) and I'll be slapping on a new one for Park City in late July. I also run the Ardent up front.

I have a friend that runs Saguaros both F & R on his bike. We do both ride 29er's though so you may have a different experience...

Thanks for the comments everyone. I went with the Specialized Ground Control. After a 3.5hr ride around the Snowbasin area, I think I made a good choice. It never felt slow and never spun out on the loose stuff.